Religion
The religion of the Erisandria region centers around the Cardinal Five and their influence in the world. It provides the cultural structure of the region and accounts for many laws, traditions, holidays, and parts of the calendar. It is widely accepted to be considered true based on evidence from divine casters. Creation of the World In the beginning, there was only the Mother Goddess, Lagsha. She alone created the world as a place of peace in an otherwise chaotic universe. However, she quickly tired of being alone and so created six children to be her companions: Ulric, Arabonna, Krea, Hadrian, Elspeth, and Marlis. As they grew, the oldest five children were of the same mind. They cherished their mother's creation and attempted to find ways to better their world. Ulric created order and laws. Arabonna created the seas and weather. Krea created plants and animals. Hadrian created knowledge and magic. Elspeth created love and the cycles of life. The youngest, Marlis, though, created only chaos and destruction. He despised the little creatures that his mother had made and found pleasure in their torment. He could not understand the attention that his mother and siblings gave them and sought to show his family how futile their efforts truly were. In this vein, he invented war, drought, famine, insanity, and death. Finally deciding to put a stop to their younger brother's terror, the Cardinal Five fought and banished Marlis to the depths of the Realm of Darkness. It was too late, however, to undo his influence on the world. And so the other five siblings each took on one of his mantles in an effort to balance them out. The Mother Goddess, distraught over the ruin of her world and the loss of her youngest son, decided to give her life to the planet that she had brought into existence. She became one with the world and so ceased to exist in her immortal form. In her place, the Cardinal Five now serve as the supreme guardians and protectors of the world. Worship Each of the Cardinal Five have one day of the week that is named for them. On these days, it is believed that activities that pertain to the god are more fruitful. For instance, planting seeds on Krea's day, Sowday, will yield crops that are bigger and more delicious than seeds planted on other days of the week. Although many regard this as old fashioned superstition, most people still perform these tasks in this way out of a sense of tradition. In addition to this, many worshippers will offer sacrifices and prayers to the gods any time they undertake an action within that god's realm of power. With very few exceptions (notably Priests, Clerics, and Paladins), most sentient creatures worship all of the five gods equally when appropriate. Temples Temples to the Cardinal Five can be found throughout the land of Erisandria. Their structures can be very different. Ulric's temples tend to be great stone buildings that show the power and strength of the established rulers of the land, while Hadrian's temples often serve as schools and libraries. Temples are usually run by one head Priest or Priestess, who is in charge of the activities and celebrations pertaining to that god within their city. There are very often lower followers of the god within the temples, as well, such as Acolytes or lower ranking Priests. Major Aspects *Justice *Freedom *Work *Knowledge *Life Category:Culture of Erisandria